The Giessen Family Centre for Children with Cancer is planning to install a play tower in the centre's garden. Stadtwerke Gießen is supporting the organisation with a donation of 500 euros towards the purchase.
Not far from the University Children's Hospital, at Friedrichstraße 30, parents and siblings of children with cancer have found a temporary home since 1986. The Family Centre for Children with Cancer Giessen e.V. offers relatives from distant hometowns the opportunity to be close to their loved ones during treatment in the children's hospital. More than 2000 families have already taken advantage of this special offer over the past 28 years. Ingo Steinmüller from the Energy & Water Networks department at Stadtwerke Gießen knows what an enormous help the facility is to parents and siblings and how grateful they are for such a home in the immediate vicinity of the University Children's Hospital. "We know from our own experience that the fight against cancer requires a great deal of strength from the whole family. Back then, we got to know some parents who lived in the family centre so that they didn't have to constantly commute between home and the clinic," explains Ingo Steinmüller. His wife Beate Steinmüller has been involved in the centre ever since - initially as a volunteer. In 2003, she then took over the position of centre manager.
"We want mums and dads to have a place to retreat to - sisters and brothers can escape from everyday life for a few hours while playing," explains Beate Steinmüller. The family centre has therefore set up a sandpit and spring animals for swinging in the outdoor area. A new play tower with a climbing wall and slide will be added soon. When Ingo Steinmüller heard about the plans, he suggested supporting the purchase with one of the 75 good deeds in SWG's anniversary year. On Wednesday 3 July, he presented a donation cheque for 500 euros to Beate Steinmüller and deputy manager Angelika Schäfer. "We were delighted when my husband told me about the support. The plans for a children's play tower have existed for some time. The commitment from Stadtwerke gave us the impetus to finally implement the project and collect further donations," said Beate Steinmüller at the cheque presentation.